(Liverpool)

Sunday 20 November | 10.30–16.15

When the explorer Mary Kingsley first sights the coast of West Africa in 1893, she admits she is terrified. Fear can often steer our encounters with those different from ourselves, but Mary Kingsley and other British women explorers turned that fear to hope. They opened our eyes to other cultures and expanded our understanding of what it means to be human. Did their gender help them to see the world differently? Come and help us answer that question by joining us for a day of talks about women explorers and travellers, and doing some of your own exploring at our exhibition and in our family-friendly creative workshops.

Full programme

10.30-11.30 Understanding the ‘Dark Continent’: British Women and Africa

Come and hear about the explorer Mary Kingsley, famous for her expeditions to West Africa, and the poet, traveller, and race campaigner, Nancy Cunard, in talks by Dr. Lisa Regan and Dr. Sandeep Parmar from the University of Liverpool. We’ll explore both women’s fascinating local connections with Liverpool and their inspiring global legacies for advancing African interests in Europe and the US. (For ages 11+)